Product Description

Radiation is all around us in Canada. Natural background radiation is found in soil, air, food, and water, but radiation is also used in healthcare, power generation, construction, manufacturing, research, and other workplace settings. Over 150,000 Canadians are monitored each year for occupational radiation dose, and many more are exposed during diagnostic or therapeutic medical procedures. Unfortunately, most Canadian workers know very little about radiation.

This recorded webinar will give participants a better understanding of what radiation is, the health effects of exposure, and some of the principles and practical methods of radiation protection. The hour-long presentation plus the accompanying question period will provide attendees with the knowledge required to make informed decisions and opinions about radiation safety related issues in any industry.

You will learn:

• What radiation is, and the properties of different types of radiation
• How to measure radiation (activity, half-life, dose)
• What the health effects of exposure to radiation are, for both chronic exposures to low doses of radiation, and acute exposures to high doses of radiation
• How to protect yourself from radiation
• What typical exposures are, particularly in healthcare
• About the regulatory framework in Canada

Who should attend:

• Nuclear energy workers, radiation workers, and X-ray workers
• Doctors, nurses, and technicians/technologists
• Workers in organizations that use radiation or X-rays
• Health and safety professionals who may encounter a workplace with radiation
• Anyone interested in a better understanding of radiation and radiation safety in Canada

About the Presenter

Claire Cohalan is a scientist at the Radiation Safety Institute of Canada. She participates in the teaching and development of the Institute’s radiation safety training courses, answers questions from radiation professionals and the general public about the effects of various types of radiation, and develops radiation safety manuals and licence applications for various industries and institutions.

Prior to working at the Radiation Safety Institute, Ms. Cohalan was a research assistant at the Brain Imaging Centre of the Montreal Neurological Institute, developing novel techniques to measure changes in blood volumes in the brain during activation, using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). She has also participated in research projects in cosmology, measuring the faint signal from the Cosmic Microwave Background, and in high energy physics, at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

Ms. Cohalan has a M.Sc. degree from McGill University in Medical Radiation Physics.

Length: 80 minutes

A PDF of the presentation slides is included with the webinar registration fee.

You do not need a microphone or a telephone to listen to this webinar - just listen to the presentation through your computer's speakers or headphones.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing instructions on how to view the webinar and download the slides.

This webinar was originally broadcast on October 18, 2011.

System Requirements

You must have Windows Media 9.0 or higher to view the recorded webinar.

If your have any questions regarding the online registration process contact CCOHS Client Services. For more information regarding webinars read About Webinars and/or Webinar FAQs.